Breaking Colonial Chains: How Western Approaches Propel Africa Toward Policy Independence

A crucial concern at the center of the changing global economic landscape, is how African countries will navigate this transformation to secure their independent economic future. In a sharp analysis, Professor Fredrick Ogola, an economist and Deputy Vice Chancellor at Uzima University, Kenya, dissected the economic constraints imposed on countries like Kenya, which was recently ranked 10th in the world for extreme poverty by the World Bank. He offers a compelling critique of conditional lending, debt traps, and the erosion of policy sovereignty, while also casting a vision toward proactive solutions and the strategic opportunities presented by a multipolar world.

“The best thing we need to do is to do an audit. Some of these debts that Africa is repaying heavily, did we borrow them? Because how can someone punch your chest to cough what you didn't swallow? So, we have to do an audit so that we can verify these debts because some of them actually faked it. The other one is domestic resource mobilization [...] We should package Africa, brand Africa, love our country, and love our continent so that we can actually bring the Golden Age of Africa, where all African nations and all African people can prosper together, working together and forging forward,” the economist stated.

The episode also examines Africa’s sovereignty in a multipolar world, featuring the views of Dr. Tafadzwa Ruzive, a postdoctoral fellow in international affairs at the University of the Free State in South Africa. He commented on Mauritius’ firm response to US President Donald Trump, stating that the island’s sovereignty over Chagos ‘should no longer be a subject of discussion.’ According to the scholar, the dispute highlights the unfinished process of decolonization and the aggressive pursuit of strategic globalization.

“The nexus shows that globalization and decolonization are the same thing, as America needed to stall the decolonization process being driven by the UK to achieve its globalization processes [...] The tension between international multilateral institutions like the ICJ and the UN against real political interests lies in the global shift that is being pursued by the global powers that are occupying the Chagos Islands, which America in particular is striving toward, a unipolar global order, while the ICJ is based on multilateralism. So we are seeing a clash of unilateralism versus multilateralism [...] The Chagos case revives a lot of unsettled colonial legacies that the colonial powers have left on the continent and are refusing to resolve,” the expert explained.

Discover more insights from our outstanding guests on the Pan-African Frequency podcast, proudly brought to you by Sputnik Africa.

In addition to the website, you can also catch our episodes on Telegram.

► You can also listen to our podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Deezer, Pocket Casts, Afripods, and Podcast Addict

► Check out all the episodes of Pan-African Frequency